Support the union members fighting to save the forests of Cerattepe

31 May 2016 07:14

Support the Campaign

The water supply, jobs and rich forest in the Turkish district Cerattepe by the Black Sea is being thretened by a mining company seeking to exploit the land for gold, silver and copper. The struggle against the mining plans has been going on for many years and the big protest movement has been able to stop and postpone the plans several times.In February this year defied a court ruling to stop the mining plans, and started closing down the area for construction thousands of people gathered to protest against the mining plans.“Nature will have no mercy on us while taking back what we had stolen from her,” is the main slogan of the union. The demonstration was violently beaten down by police. The Ministry of Forestry and Water Affairs are also threatening union members at the local forestry directorate who joined the protests to be transferred to other regions of the country if they do not give up. The forestry union TARIM ORMAN-IS has now turned to us with an urgent request for help to stop the mining plans and harassment of union members standing up for their community. The Cerattepe region of Artvin is known for its rich forests that is home to more than 2000 plant forms, a diverse wildlife and important water resources, all of which are being threatened by the mining plans. But the struggle in Cerattepe is about more than saving the forests, water and jobs of people in the region. To save our forests is about saving the climate for all of us and our future generations to come. Join our action to demand an immediate stop to the mining plans and harassments of union members. Together we can save the beautiful land of Cerattepe from being destroyed forever!